The World Fight Air Programme (GCAP) sixth-generation fighter venture is advancing to its subsequent improvement stage with a brand new increase of funding by companions Italy, Japan, and the UK, working by to the tip of 2027.
Introduced on Jul. 3, 2026, the massive new contract will present for the following steps in finalising the design necessities and capabilities of the following era plane. It follows on from the preliminary contract award of £686 million to Edgewing – the three way partnership that acts as the general contractor and design authority – in April 2026, bridging the hole to this new contract.
Funded by all three GCAP companions – the UK, Italy, and Japan – the contract announcement comes simply days after the discharge of the UK’s Defence Funding Plan (DIP). The DIP dedicated to ongoing funding for GCAP, specifying £8.6 billion of UK funding for the programme over the following 4 years. Parts of this are probably supposed in the direction of the UK-funded parts of the venture, which embrace the Excalibur flight check plane and the Fight Air Flying Demonstrator as a consequence of be prepared for flight by the tip of 2027.
#GCAP has taken one other enormous step ahead immediately with a brand new £4.6 billion contract to assist the supply of a next-gen stealth fighter.
Discover out extra about what this newest milestone means for our companion nations
🇮🇹🇯🇵🇬🇧 @edgewing pic.twitter.com/ZOu6gZ5JsF
— GCAP (@GCAP_int) July 3, 2026
Rumors of a brand new contract award to Edgewing forward of this 12 months’s Farnborough Worldwide Airshow (Jul. 20-24) had swirled across the defence trade in latest days and weeks. Undoubtedly, Edgewing and the varied companion contractors could have extra bulletins to make at this 12 months’s version of the present the place, in 2024, we acquired our first have a look at a full scale mockup of the proposed fighter.
The UK’s Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Trade, Luke Pollard MP, stated: “The World Fight Air Programme will give our pilots a cutting-edge stealth fighter jet. Signing this £4.6 billion contract alongside Italy and Japan is a serious step ahead in the direction of supply. This milestone strengthens our partnership with worldwide allies, helps 1000’s of extremely expert jobs throughout the UK, and can give the RAF the instruments they should maintain the UK protected, all backed by an £8.6bn dedication within the Defence Funding Plan.”
Japan, which beforehand expressed concern over the UK’s resolve to fund the venture, is reported by native media to be relieved by the brand new announcement.
We’re proud to announce the signing of the second joint worldwide contract, price £4.6 billion, enabling the World Fight Air Programme (GCAP) to forge forwards. pic.twitter.com/KAdEGYZtOD
— Edgewing (@EdgewingLtd) July 3, 2026
“I’m delighted to signal this worldwide contract on behalf of the three GCAP nations – Italy, Japan and the UK. It’ll allow the GCAP Company and Edgewing to proceed making enormous progress in all areas of supply. The programme is important for international safety and defeating future threats, whereas sharing prices, technological benefits and creating extremely expert jobs in all three nations,” remarked Masami Oka, GCAP Company Chief Government.
“With this long-term funding, the way forward for GCAP has by no means been extra assured. I’m enthusiastic about what we’ll obtain over the following 18 months and the alternatives we will create to develop the programme additional,” he added.
